Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

F. Belgiorno

Publications and source records attributed to F. Belgiorno.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2020

Analogue Hawking Effect: a master equation

We consider further on the problem of the analogue Hawking radiation. We propose a fourth order ordinary differential equation, which allows to discuss the problem of Hawking radiation in analogue gravity in a unified way, encompassing fluids and dielectric media. In a suitable approximation, involving weak dispersive effects, WKB solutions are obtained far from the horizon (turning point), and furthermore an equation governing the behaviour near the horizon is derived, and a complete set of analytical solutions is obtained also near the horizon. The subluminal case of the original fluid model introduced by Corley and Jacobson, the case of dielectric media are discussed. We show that in this approximation scheme there is a mode which is not directly involved in the pair-creation process. Thermality is verified and a framework for calculating the grey-body factor is provided.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2020

Analogue Hawking Effect: BEC and Surface Waves

We take into account two further physical models which play an utmost importance in the framework of Analogue Gravity. We first consider Bose--Einstein condensates (BEC) and then surface gravity waves in water. Our approach is based on the use of the master equation we introduced in a previous work. A more complete analysis of the singular perturbation problem involved, with particular reference to the behavior in the neighbourhood of the (real) turning point and its connection with the WKB approximation, allows us to verify the thermal character of the particle production process. Furthermore, we can provide a simple scheme apt to calculate explicitly the greybody factors in the case of BEC and surface waves. This corroborates the improved approach we proposed for studying the analogue Hawking effect in the usual limit of small dispersive effects.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2017

Tunneling method for Hawking radiation in the Nariai case

We revisit the tunneling picture for the Hawking effect in light of the charged Nariai manifold, because this general relativistic solution, which displays two horizons, provides the bonus to allow the knowledge of exact solutions of the field equations. We first perform a revisitation of the tunneling ansatz in the framework of particle creation in external fields a la Nikishov, which corroborates the interpretation of the semiclassical emission rate Gamma as the conditional probability rate for the creation of a couple of particles from the vacuum. Then, particle creation associated with the Hawking effect on the Nariai manifold is calculated in two ways. On the one hand, we apply the Hamilton Jacobi formalism for tunneling, in the case of a charged scalar field on the given background. On the other hand, the knowledge of the exact solutions for the Klein Gordon equations on Nariai manifold, and their analytic properties on the extended manifold, allow us a direct computation of the flux of particles leaving the horizon, and, as a consequence, we obtain a further corroboration of the semiclassical tunneling picture from the side of S-matrix formalism.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2017

The Hopfield-Kerr model and analogue black hole radiation in dielectrics

In the context of the interaction between the electromagnetic field and a dielectric dispersive lossless medium, we present a non-linear version of the relativistically covariant Hopfield model, which is suitable for the description of a dielectric Kerr perturbation propagating in a dielectric medium. The non-linearity is introduced in the Lagrangian through a self-interacting term proportional to the fourth power of the polarization field. We find an exact solution for the nonlinear equations describing a propagating perturbation in the dielectric medium. Furthermore the presence of an analogue Hawking effect, as well as the thermal properties of the model, are discussed, confirming and improving the results achieved in the scalar case.

hep-th↗
arXiv2016

Spectral boundary conditions and solitonic solutions in a classical Sellmeier dielectric

Electromagnetic field interactions in a dielectric medium represent a longstanding field of investigation, both at the classical level and at the quantum one. We propose a 1+1 dimensional toy-model which consists of an half-line filling dielectric medium, with the aim to set up a simplified situation where technicalities related to gauge invariance and, as a consequence, physics of constrained systems are avoided, and still interesting features appear. In particular, we simulate the electromagnetic field and the polarization field by means of two coupled scalar fields $ϕ$,$ψ$ respectively, in a Hopfield-like model. We find that, in order to obtain a physically meaningful behaviour for the model, one has to introduce spectral boundary conditions depending on the particle spectrum one is dealing with. This is the first interesting achievement of our analysis. The second relevant achievement is that, by introducing a nonlinear contribution in the polarization field $ψ$, with the aim of mimicking a third order nonlinearity in a nonlinear dielectric, we obtain solitonic solutions in the Hopfield model framework, whose classical behaviour is analyzed too.

hep-th↗
arXiv2016

Stimulated emission and Hawking radiation in black hole analogues

Stimulated emission by black holes is discussed in light of the analogue gravity program. We first consider initial quantum states containing a definite number of particles, and then we take into account the case where the initial state is a coherent state. The latter case is particularly significant in the case where Hawking radiation is studied in dielectric black holes, and the emission is stimulated by a laser probe. We are particularly interested in the case of the electromagnetic field, for which stimulated radiation is calculated too.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2016

The Hopfield model revisited: Covariance and Quantization

There are several possible applications of quantum electrodynamics in dielectric media which require a quantum description for the electromagnetic field interacting with matter fields. The associated quantum models can refer to macroscopic electromagnetic fields or, in alternative, to mesoscopic fields (polarization fields) describing an effective interaction between electromagnetic field and matter fields. We adopt the latter approach, and focus on the Hopfield model for the electromagnetic field in a dielectric dispersive medium in a framework in which space-time dependent mesoscopic parameters occur, like susceptibility, matter resonance frequency, and also coupling between electromagnetic field and polarization field. Our most direct goal is to describe in a phenomenological way a space-time varying dielectric perturbation induced by means of the Kerr effect in nonlinear dielectric media. This extension of the model is implemented by means of a Lorentz-invariant Lagrangian which, for constant microscopic parameters, and in the rest frame, coincides with the standard one. Moreover, we deduce a covariant scalar product and provide a covariant quantization scheme which keeps into account the constraints implicit in the model. Examples of viable applications are indicated.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2016

The Hawking effect in dielectric media and the Hopfield model

We consider the so-called Hopfield model for the electromagnetic field in a dielectric dispersive medium in a framework in which one allows a space-time dependence of microscopic parameters, aimed to a phenomenological description of a space-time varying dielectric perturbation induced by means of the Kerr effect. We discuss the analogue Hawking effect, by first analyzing the geometrical optics for the Hopfield model, and then by introducing a simplified model which has the bonus to avoid many difficulties which are involved in the full Hopfield model, still keeping the same dispersion relation. Amplitude calculations are indicated, and generalized Manley-Rowe identities are derived in a quantum scattering theory framework. Our main result is an analytical calculation of the spontaneous thermal emission in the single-branch case, which is provided non perturbatively for the first time in the framework of dielectric black holes. An universal mechanism for thermality between optical black holes and acoustic black holes is also pointed out.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2016

Path integral quantization of the relativistic Hopfield model

The path integral quantization method is applied to a relativistically covariant version of the Hopfield model, which represents a very interesting mesoscopic framework for the description of the interaction between quantum light and dielectric quantum matter, with particular reference to the context of analogue gravity. In order to take into account the constraints occurring in the model, we adopt the Faddeev-Jackiw approach to constrained quantization in the path integral formalism. In particular we demonstrate that the propagator obtained with the Faddeev-Jackiw approach is equivalent to the one which, in the framework of Dirac canonical quantization for constrained systems, can be directly computed as the vacuum expectation value of the time ordered product of the fields. Our analysis also provides an explicit example of quantization of the electromagnetic field in a covariant gauge and coupled with the polarization field, which is a novel contribution to the literature on the Faddeev-Jackiw procedure.

hep-th↗
arXiv2015

Phi-Psi model for Electrodynamics in dielectric media: exact quantisation in the Heisenberg representation

We investigate the quantization in the Heisenberg representation of a model which represents a simplification of the Hopfield model for dielectric media, where the electromagnetic field is replaced by a scalar field $ϕ$ and the role of the polarization field is played by a further scalar field $ψ$. The model, which is quadratic in the fields, is still characterized by a nontrivial physical content, as the physical particles correspond to the polaritons of the standard Hopfield model of condensed matter physics. Causality is also taken into account and a discussion of the standard interaction representation is also considered.

math-ph↗
arXiv2015

Exact quantisation of the relativistic Hopfield model

We investigate the quantisation in the Heisenberg representation of a relativistically covariant version of the Hopfield model for dielectric media, which entails the interaction of the quantum electromagnetic field with the matter dipole fields. The matter fields are represented by a mesoscopic polarization field. A full quantisation of the model is provided in a covariant gauge, with the aim of maintaining explicit relativistic covariance. Breaking of the Lorentz invariance due to the intrinsic presence in the model of a preferred reference frame is also taken into account. Relativistic covariance forces us to deal with the unphysical (scalar and longitudinal) components of the fields, furthermore it introduces, in a more tricky form, the well-known dipole ghost of standard QED in a covariant gauge. In order to correctly dispose of this contribution, we implement a generalized Lautrup trick. Furthermore, causality and the relation of the model with the Wightman axioms are also discussed.

math-ph↗
arXiv2014

Tunneling approach and thermality in dispersive models of analogue gravity

We set up a tunneling approach to the analogue Hawking effect in the case of models of analogue gravity which are affected by dispersive effects. An effective Schroedinger-like equation for the basic scattering phenomenon IN->P+N*, where IN is the incident mode, P is the positive norm reflected mode, and N* is the negative norm one, signalling particle creation, is derived, aimed to an approximate description of the phenomenon. Horizons and barrier penetration play manifestly a key-role in giving rise to pair-creation. The non-dispersive limit is also correctly recovered. Drawbacks of the model are also pointed out and a possible solution ad hoc is suggested.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2014

Experimental quantum cosmology in time-dependent optical media

It is possible to construct artificial spacetime geometries for light by using intense laser pulses that modify the spatiotemporal properties of an optical medium. Here we theoretically investigate experimental possibilities for studying spacetime metrics of the form $\textrm{d}s^2=c^2\textrm{d}t^2-η(t)^2\textrm{d}x^2$. By tailoring the laser pulse shape and medium properties, it is possible to create a refractive index variation $n=n(t)$ that can be identified with $η(t)$. Starting from a perturbative solution to a generalised Hopfield model for the medium described by an $n=n(t)$ we provide estimates for the number of photons generated by the time-dependent spacetime. The simplest example is that of a uniformly varying $η(t)$ that therefore describes the Robertson-Walker metric, i.e. a cosmological expansion. The number of photon pairs generated in experimentally feasible conditions appears to be extremely small. However, large photon production can be obtained by periodically modulating the medium and thus resorting to a resonant enhancement similar to that observed in the dynamical Casimir effect. Curiously, the spacetime metric in this case closely resembles that of a gravitational wave. Motivated by this analogy we show that a periodic gravitational wave can indeed act as an amplifier for photons. The emission for an actual gravitational wave will be very weak but should be readily observable in the laboratory analogue.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2013

Blackbody emission from light interacting with an effective moving dispersive medium

Intense laser pulses excite a nonlinear polarisation response that may create an effective flowing medium and, under appropriate conditions, a blocking horizon for light. Here we analyse in detail the interaction of light with such laser-induced flowing media, fully accounting for the medium dispersion properties. An analytical model based on a first Born-approximation is found to be in excellent agreement with numerical simulations based on Maxwell's equations and shows that when a blocking horizon is formed, the stimulated medium scatters light with a blackbody emission spectrum. Based on these results, diamond is proposed as a promising candidate medium for future studies of Hawking emission from artificial, dispersive horizons.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2012

Soliton-induced relativistic-scattering and amplification

Solitons are of fundamental importance in photonics due to applications in optical data transmission and also as a tool for investigating novel phenomena ranging from light generation at new frequencies and wave-trapping to rogue waves. Solitons are also relativistic scatterers: they generate refractive-index perturbations moving at the speed of light. Here we found that such perturbations scatter light in an unusual way: they amplify light by the mixing of positive and negative frequencies, as we describe using a first Born approximation and numerical simulations. The simplest scenario in which these effects may be observed is within the initial stages of optical soliton propagation: a steep shock front develops that may efficiently scatter a second, weaker probe pulse into relatively intense positive and negative frequency modes with amplification at the expense of the soliton. Our results show a novel all-optical amplification scheme that relies on relativistic scattering.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2012

Negative frequency resonant radiation

Optical solitons or soliton-like states shed light to blue-shifted frequencies through a resonant emission process. We predict a mechanism by which a second propagating mode is generated. This mode, called negative resonant radiation originates from the coupling of the soliton mode to the negative frequency branch of the dispersion relation. Measurements in both bulk media and photonic crystal fibres confirm our predictions.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2010

Dielectric black holes induced by a refractive index perturbation and the Hawking effect

We consider a 4D model for photon production induced by a %superluminal refractive index perturbation in a dielectric medium. We show that, in this model, we can infer the presence of a Hawking type effect. This prediction shows up both in the analogue Hawking framework, which is implemented in the pulse frame and relies on the peculiar properties of the effective geometry in which quantum fields propagate, as well as in the laboratory frame, through standard quantum field theory calculations. Effects of optical dispersion are also taken into account, and are shown to provide a limited energy bandwidth for the emission of Hawking radiation.

quant-ph↗